Madhu Ambat
Encyclopedia
Madhu Ambat is a India
n cinematographer. With a wide variety of films under his belt he is one of the most experienced cinematographers in the Indian cinema industry. Noted for his lighting techniques, he has shot a number of award-winning films. He is quite well known for his amazing work in films such as Amaram
, Anjali
, Makaramanju
etc. He currently resides in Chennai
, Tamil Nadu
. He has won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography
thrice.
Madhu's father, K Bhagyanath, resigned as a Professor of English to be a full-time magician. Bhagyanath was an amateur photographer. Bhagyanath and his wife Sulochana believed that one should take the profession one liked best. And all these helped Madhu take cinematography as his profession.
Madhu, who started his career with a documentary for famous director Ramu Kariat, has been cinematographer for over 120 films.
His sister is the renowned actress and dancer Vidhubala
.
. In a career spread over 35 years, he has been the cinematographer for a number of notable films winning many awards.
Ambat also heads a non-profit making research organization "Fantasia Centre for Research and Development of Cinema". This newly started organization strives to develop an atmosphere for research in cinema and to spread a film culture.
In 2003, he completed 1:1.6 An Ode to Lost Love, his debut film as a director.
Kerala State Film Awards
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cinematographer. With a wide variety of films under his belt he is one of the most experienced cinematographers in the Indian cinema industry. Noted for his lighting techniques, he has shot a number of award-winning films. He is quite well known for his amazing work in films such as Amaram
Amaram
Amaram is a 1991 Malayalam film directed by Bharathan and written by A. K. Lohithadas, starring Mammootty, Murali, Maathu, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Balan K. Nair, Ashokan, Chitra, and Kuthiravattam Pappu in the main roles. The film score is composed by Johnson while the songs are by Raveendran.The...
, Anjali
Anjali (film)
Anjali is a 1990 Tamil-language Indian feature film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Raghuvaran, Revathi, Prabhu, Tarun, Shruthi and Shamili. The musical film's score and soundtrack is composed by Ilaiyaraaja, being his 500th movie. Anjali is about a dying mentally disabled child, and the...
, Makaramanju
Makaramanju
-External links:* at the Malayalam Movie Database* at Nowrunning.com...
etc. He currently resides in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. He has won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography
National Film Award for Best Cinematography
The National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
thrice.
Personal Life
Madhu Ambat was born on April 2, 1949 to Ambat Sulochana and Prof K. Bhagyanath and he is the grand son of Ambat Sivarama Menon. He is a graduate and holds a diploma from the Film Institute of India, Poona, from where he passed out in 1970, securing a gold medal.Madhu's father, K Bhagyanath, resigned as a Professor of English to be a full-time magician. Bhagyanath was an amateur photographer. Bhagyanath and his wife Sulochana believed that one should take the profession one liked best. And all these helped Madhu take cinematography as his profession.
Madhu, who started his career with a documentary for famous director Ramu Kariat, has been cinematographer for over 120 films.
His sister is the renowned actress and dancer Vidhubala
Vidhubala
Vidhubala is a former Malayalam film actress who started her career in the mid-1970s and retired when she was at the peak of her career. She is the daughter of Indian magician K. Bhagyanath.-Acting career:...
.
Career
After graduating from the Pune Film Institute, Madhu Ambat entered the film industry in 1973, photographing a documentary for Ramu KariatRamu Kariat
Ramu Kariat was a Malayali Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s. He directed many acclaimed films in Malayalam...
. In a career spread over 35 years, he has been the cinematographer for a number of notable films winning many awards.
Ambat also heads a non-profit making research organization "Fantasia Centre for Research and Development of Cinema". This newly started organization strives to develop an atmosphere for research in cinema and to spread a film culture.
In 2003, he completed 1:1.6 An Ode to Lost Love, his debut film as a director.
Awards
National Film AwardsNational Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
- 1984: Best CinematographyNational Film Award for Best CinematographyThe National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
- Adi Sankaracharya (Sanskrit) - 2006: Best CinematographyNational Film Award for Best CinematographyThe National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
- SringaramSringaramSringaram is a 2007 Indian Tamil period-drama film directed by debutant Saradha Ramanathan, a popular dancer. Co-written by novelist Indra Soundar Rajan and produced by Padmini Ravi, herself a dancer, it stars Aditi Rao Hydari, in her feature film debut, in the lead role, alongside Manoj K. Jayan,...
(Tamil) - 2010: Best CinematographyNational Film Award for Best CinematographyThe National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
- Adaminte Makan AbuAdaminte Makan AbuAdaminte Makan Abu is a 2011 Indian drama film written, directed and co-produced by Salim Ahamed in his debut film. It stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab in the lead roles along with Mukesh, Nedumudi Venu, Kalabhavan Mani, and Suraj Venjarammoodu in other supporting roles. The cinematography was...
(Malayalam)
Kerala State Film Awards
- Aswathama (Directed by K. R. MohananK. R. MohananK. R. Mohanan is a Malayalam film director best known for his critically acclaimed works, Ashwathama , Purushartham and Swaroopam . He studied at the Pune Film Institute....
) - Sooryante Maranam (Directed by Rajeevnath)
- Yaro OralYaro OralYaro Oral is a 1978 Malayalam film written and directed by Pavithran. It was his debut as a director. It introduced to Malayalam a genre of personal cinema, which is deliberately anti-realist. The film's music is composed by acclaimed film director G. Aravindan.-Plot:Malathi, a gynaecologist, is...
(Directed by PavithranPavithranVattapparambil Krishnan Pavithran, known mononymously as Pavithran was a famous Malayalam film director.-Biography:...
) - Purushartham (Directed by K. R. Mohanan)
- Swathi ThirunalSwathi Thirunal (film)Swathi Thirunal is a 1987 Malayalam biographical film co-written and directed by Lenin Rajendran. It stars Anant Nag in the title role, and Srividya, Nedumudi Venu and Murali in other important roles...
(Directed by Lenin RajendranLenin RajendranLenin Rajendran is an Indian film director and screenwriter who has worked in Malayalam cinema.- Career :Beginning his film-making career as an assistant to director P. A. Backer, Rajendran made his directorial debut with Venal...
) - AmaramAmaramAmaram is a 1991 Malayalam film directed by Bharathan and written by A. K. Lohithadas, starring Mammootty, Murali, Maathu, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Balan K. Nair, Ashokan, Chitra, and Kuthiravattam Pappu in the main roles. The film score is composed by Johnson while the songs are by Raveendran.The...
(Directed by BharathanBharathanBharathan was an Indian film director, artist, lyricist, music director, sculptor, poster designer, editor and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Padmarajan, in the 1980s, which created films that were widely...
)